


Heat

by OneDyingWish



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: Anime only, F/M, Felix going into heat, He goes into heat even though he's male don't question it, Hormones, Mood Swings, Oral Sex, Secret Relationship, handjob, sweaty sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:53:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26338303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneDyingWish/pseuds/OneDyingWish
Summary: Felix and Crusch attend crucial negotiations at the Roswaal mansion for the purposes of an Anti-Witch Cult summit. Things become slightly more complicated when Felix goes into "heat".
Relationships: Felix Argyle | Ferris/Crusch Karsten
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	Heat

**Author's Note:**

> Anime-only writer. Takes place in an alternate version of canon after the end of Arc 3.

Gravel crunched under wheels as the dragon-drawn carriage rolled along towards the Mathers domain. Crusch opened the window to let in a mildly refreshing breeze and took in the scenery of sprawling wheat fields rolling to the horizon in low hills, some of the most fertile land in the country, pregnant with the year's growth and soon to be harvested. The breeze was much needed, for...

"It is unseasonably hot for autumn," she observed. The cabin was hot and stuffy and the air helped but only marginally. 

"Y-Yeah, you can say that again..." 

  
  


It was just the two of them, at least. The cabin could hold four passengers comfortably, but she rode alone with Felix today, and was thankful for it. Alone that is, except for Wilhelm, who was currently outside driving the dragons. She felt bad for him, out in the sun, but the grizzled old soldier had smiled and promised her that it was no problem. Actually, she wondered if he might have it easier out there than in here.

"Do you think that I might have overdressed, Felix? My clothes are quickly soaking through with sweat." She was wearing full business clothes, navy blue woolen suit and breeches, white shirt underneath, white gloves, knee-high boots of black leather. Good clothes for a chilly autumn day drawing near winter, but not for a day that reeked of summer such as this. 

"Then take 'em offff," he said, rather petulantly, lengthening the last syllable with an exaggerated whine and leaning his head back against the wall. She paused and looked at him. 

"That sounded unusually whiny. Still, your counsel is valid." 

She undid the brass buttons on her double-breasted coat and hung it up on one of the convenient ceiling hooks across from her seat which served such purposes. Her hands felt moist under her gloves, so she stripped them off too. For good measure, she opened the first couple buttons of her shirt and let her body breathe a little. In her tucked in shirt and high boots and breeches straining against her muscular thighs, her sword resting upon a nearby seat, she looked almost like some swashbuckling woman pirate captain. 

Felix could hardly be more different. He was dressed far more lightly, in entirely feminine style, in a bright and flowery garment very similar to what would be called a sundress in our world. He wore white heels and a choker of white lace and the red rose of Karsten pinned to his breast, there was a small crown of white lace flowers in his hair which had been gifted to him by Rem and was itself very similar to her and Ram's own maid headbands. He looked entirely a pretty girl and could pass for one, albeit a demi-human girl with a tail and cat ears. 

Crusch envied how comfortable and airy his attire looked—she wouldn't mind wearing a dress such as that right now. Of course, as they were due to arrive at the Roswaal mansion today, it was only appropriate that she represent the House of Karsten in her formal clothes. There would be time for frills and dresses at the parties and lunches and social functions which were sure to follow in the coming days. As comfortable as Felix's dress seemed, however, there was something on her mind. 

"Felix, I cannot help but notice how you are dressed far more appropriately than me for the weather, yet you seem far more uncomfortable than I am. You seem remarkably sweaty and flushed, and I might add that you even had a hint of impudence in your tone earlier. Are you quite alright?" 

Felix looked at her, blinking. Crusch seemed to be striking at the heart of something because he shifted uneasily, looked to the side, and blushed deeper as she went on. She did not even need her ability to discern the wind of truth to read her Felix's moods, and she could tell something was off. 

"C-Cruschie..." he began, quietly. It was hard for him to even meet her eyes. "I... I have something to tell you..." 

"What is it?" She looked at him expectantly, but regarded him with a softness reserved specially for him. She shifted down the bench, closer. 

"Well, it's..." 

He gulped and looked at her directly. Her forehead was shiny-damp, lips parted slightly and seeming especially plump and wet, with more than a hint of cleavage peeking out from her shirt. Concern for his well-being was written all over her usually stern face. 

"You're starting to worry me... are you sick?" She placed her palm on his forehead and he made a low raspy gasp, rubbed his knees together. "Hm... no, you're quite sweaty, but your body temperature doesn't seem higher than usual..." 

"C-Cruschie!" He clamped his hands on his tightly drawn-in knees, startling her. While looking down, he confessed like a guilty murderer in a small and fragile voice… 

"I… I think I'm in heat again…!" 

\----- ----- -----

A silence fell for a moment as she took in what he said. "You're… in heat again?" 

"Yeah, I am!" There were tears in his eyes.

"But… that happened only a few months ago. Again, and so soon…?" 

"It tends to happen in spring and autumn… oh Cruschie, I'm so sorry!" His voice rose to a cry, face contorted in shame. 

"Is everything alright back there?" called Old Man Wilhelm in his very proud old knight voice. Evidently he had heard Felix, though he couldn't see what was going on inside the cabin unless he stopped to look through the sliding window. 

"Everything's fine!" she quickly called back, before turning back to her love and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Felix, Felix. It's alright. Please calm down. I'm not angry with you." 

He looked up at her with a wretched frown on his face. "B-But I'm so mad… we have this big important meeting and nyow I'm gonna ruin it… I'm so sorry!" 

"Shhh, shhh." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close as he buried his face into her chest and cried. "It's alright. You don't need to apologize. It's just your body. Just calm down, take your time… it's alright." 

He cried himself out for about a couple minutes, her holding him and stroking his hair and back all the while. Such bursts of emotion and passion were but one feature of Felix's "heat." His outburst wasn't simply on account of the mood swings, however—she knew he had been thinking of the trouble this might cause her with such crucial negotiations coming up. The guilt and shame must have been tormenting him. 

"How long have you known?" she asked gently. 

He sniffled. "Since yesterday…" 

"Is it… well,  _ bad _ already…?" 

"It's bad." 

"Is it going to get worse, you think...?" 

"Yeah…"

"Ah, well…" she sighed. "We will have to deal with it as it goes. Our plan is still the same. The negotiations will go on; we shall uphold the honor of our house; we'll find a way— _ oh. _ " 

It really was bad already. Felix was tenting in his dress—a bulge between his legs was obvious. Holding him had had the effect of soothing his tears, but the close contact had only stoked the fires of his arousal more. 

"Ah!" He yelped again and covered his own face in embarrassment. "I-I can't help it," he stammered. "I've been getting worked up this whole time just sitting with you… oh, I'm the worst…" 

So it wasn't only guilt and shame that had been tormenting him. Just being in such close quarters with her, and alone, must have been a trial. The weather just threw more coal on the fire—impelling her to strip partially as sweat trickled down her white neck and into her cleavage, and Felix watching all the while and burning up with lust. The heat drew out her woman-scent as well, and for a demi-human with a heightened nose, it was quite the aphrodisiac aroma. 

"No, no. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You were thinking of me this entire time… in more ways than one, it seems." 

As she said the words, she softly kissed his forehead—but traced his bulge with a finger through the fabric as well. He looked up at her, trembling and flushed and desperate. 

"Attending to your needs when you're like this can be… inconvenient at times, perhaps. But I would be lying if I said it wasn't fun… do you think we should do something now, before we get there?" 

"I… I'd love that." 

She leaned in and kissed him. Their lips only touched for a moment before she pulled away, left him wanting while she walked over to the sliding window where the passengers could communicate with the driver. She poked her head into frame. 

"Sir Wilhelm. Give the two of us some privacy for a while. If something extremely important comes up, then notify me, but otherwise I must ask that you do not disturb us." 

"...Certainly, Madam." 

"Thank you. As always, I appreciate your discretion." 

She shut the window and returned to him at once. He was flushed and slightly dazed, tapping his fingers anxiously on his seat and looking up at her expectantly as she came back. She leaned down and met his lips, the two of them melting into a gentle kiss at once while his hands reached up to feel her arms and face. Felix felt like a swooning maiden—she was so strong, so charming, so full of confidence. She sat down by his side, giggling while he planted a wave of kisses on her cheek and face that made her gently protest "F-Felix, please!"

When her view wasn't completely occupied by Felix's face, she put her hands on his hips and scooted even closer to him. 

"Goodness… you're so attractive in this dress, don't you know?" One hand roamed up his side, feeling, marveling at his slender body, while the other slid down his thigh to grip bare knee. 

"D-Do you really think so…?" 

"Of course, darling. It becomes you. You're beautiful." 

He said her name with tears in his eyes. He cried a little as she leaned in to kiss his breast, her hands still traveling all over him, holding him now and just embracing him for a moment. 

"Are you alright?" she whispered. 

"I'm fine," he sniffled.

"Are you alright to go on…?"

He tearfully nodded. She pecked him one more time on the lips before turning her attention lower, below his waist. She placed her palms right on his knees—he had to gasp—before slowly sliding upwards until her fingers were at the hem of his dress. Every touch of hers felt electric on his skin. She lifted up the fabric slowly, ever slowly, amber eyes flitting to his nervous ones as she took a look at his most private area. 

She found him stiff as a sword, almost painfully hard, cock poking out of his lacey panties and shiny with a wide trail of pre-cum down his shaft. His head was deep pink and almost swollen up, like a girl's clit. When she touched him there, he shuddered and whimpered. 

"So sensitive…" 

She knelt and pulled his panties down his smooth, hairless legs (as smooth and hairless as his cock) and set them aside. He was so excited that even the touch of her fingers grazing along his legs and delicate feet made him burst into an awkward giggle. His nervous laughter turned to whimpers and shaky breaths as she gently wrapped her hand around his cock. Her other hand held his balls and ever so lightly caressed him with her fingers. She liked to study his face in times like these—right now his eyes were shut tight, head leaning back against the wall, lips parted and practically wincing from the pleasure. Her hand traveled up from his balls to press all five fingertips to his head, as if cupping it. He gasped harshly and almost sounded like he would cry again when she started rubbing her thumb right under his urethra, the most sensitive part on his whole cock. With the one hand wrapped around his shaft she made short pumping motions from his base, while lavishing attention on his swollen head and most sensitive spot with the other. 

His hips were bucking, squirming around. Her hands were slippery with all of his pre-cum. He grasped her arm for support and started to get so vocal with his high moans that she had to muffle his mouth with her palm, stroking faster and harder now, looking him in the eyes and fixing him with a hard, serious gaze that seemed to say  _ keep quiet or else. _ For a moment her palm felt like iron on his lips and his eyes rolled back. His orgasm rose up through him, opaque cum shooting out like fireworks over his thighs and reaching over even to land on her breeches. 

He was breathless when she unmuffled him, slumping over with his head against her shoulder and trying to recover. She wrapped her arm around him to hold him up. 

"Well… took care of that, did we not?"

She weakly smiled and looked down at her hand, sticky all over with cum.  _ He's always a messy one. _

Felix took in another weary breath and whispered "thank you," as he leaned into her. He weakly stretched out his hand towards her knee, where a little bit of his nut had fallen onto her pants. She wasn't sure what he was doing until his hand glowed the faintest bit blue. The cum was drawn away as if by magnetic force into a tiny ball in his palm before evaporating into the air. Her breeches were once again unstained. 

"It's a weak form of water magic…"

"Oh. That was very thoughtful of you." 

"Yeah… let me see your hand too." He activated the same magic onto her palm and evaporated all the traces he had left.

"Sorry I'm so messy…" he said, sheepish.

"It's quite alright, Felix." She put her hand over his. He turned his body in towards her and they hugged quietly. 

"I really don't deserve you…" 

"Nonsense… nonsense," she said while stroking his back. "You deserve me, because I have chosen to be with you. It is as simple as that." 

They shared a peaceful and quiet moment of intimacy like that, the two of them basking in the afterglow. Eventually, he lifted up his head from where it was nuzzled in her chest to say something. 

"Umm, Cruschie…?" 

"Yes, dear?" 

"...I'm actually still really horny." 

"...Oh." 

_ Oh _ indeed. Her tone was of very slight surprise. This was a reminder of just how high his sex drive got— _ and how his refractory period shortens to almost nothing, _ she thought. 

"Yeah, haha…" he awkwardly giggled a bit. He seemed to still be terribly embarrassed, but was doing a better job of hiding it now. That was good, at least. 

"Well…" She took a peek outside at the scenery and saw they were still traveling in open plains. They most likely had several more hours yet before they reached the Emilia faction's mansion. She smiled.

"In that case, I am ready for more if you ar—" 

Before she knew it, he was on her and kissing and pulling her back down onto the bench.  _ That's right, _ she remembered.  _ He'll be emotional and submissive one moment… and incredibly assertive the next.  _

He veritably pounced on her, pushing her up against the wood panel wall with sloppy kisses and fumbling desperately for the buttons of her shirt. 

"This is okay, right?" 

"It's okay," she said. 

She reached down under his dress and felt him. Her soft strokes on the underside of his cock made him purr with pleasure, but he wanted something more. He thrusted aggressively into her hand before shifting himself closer to grind directly in between her legs, through her breeches. They were positioned in such a way that Crusch's ass was planted on the bench, back against the corner where the wall made a 90 degree angle, knees hiked up and legs spread while the tops of Felix's thighs braced against the underside of her's as he ground his hips into her. She could feel his head poking her slit through the layers, tantalizing her, frustrating her. His hands had undone her shirt-buttons now and untucked it, exposing her breasts and belly and lacey bra. He reached around her sweatsoaked back and undid the clasp of her bra with one impressively deft movement before shoving his face in between her tits.

His every action seemed to scream  _ I want you, I need you. _ He didn't just want to fuck her—he wanted to indulge himself—in her, in her body, her scent. He licked the sweat between her breasts before sucking on one nipple and thumbing the other in circles. As lusty as he was, he didn't think only of himself—his mouth was far from clumsy, licking and teasing on her nips with an alacrity that could only come from experience. Then his lips were on her belly, kissing the squishy layer of healthy fat over her abdomen and tracing a path down to her groin. He had undone the first button when she put her hands on his wrists. 

"W-Wait… won't it smell? We typically bathe before sex, but I've been sweating for hours…" 

The uncharacteristically sheepish and flustered look on her face was worth dying for. "Say nyo more. You're just getting me more excited." After a pause, he added with warmth and sincerity—"don't worry."

Soon he was pulling her breeches down her thighs, the white skin in delicious contrast to her dark blue pants and black panties. The shape of her swollen vulva under the silk was evident as well as a distinct natural musk of pussy. Her inner thighs were lightly mottled with pink stretchmarks; after all, her body had changed explosively during the relentless training in her teen years. They were secretly a source of insecurity for her, and were considered unattractive on a woman in Lagunica—but Felix kissed them all the same, left little love-bites right on top of them that made her gasp. All the usual sternness and composure of her demeanor evaporated as he showed his affection for that most sensitive part of her body. She gasped again, harsher this time as he pressed his face right against her pussy, sniffing and suckling and dragging his tongue up the length of her slit, and all through the infuriating barrier of black panty-silk. 

"Y-You're not going to make me beg, are you…?" Her face was a flushed mess with a hint of tears at the corners of her eyes. Felix looked up at her, and for an instant his eyes seemed so smug as to be impudent, as if showing her who was in control. An instant later they were innocent and playful as he said, "'course not!" and pulled her panties down to her knees. 

Felix was skilled in most things—in medicine, in magic, in fighting. In the Collegia he had studied grammar, logic, rhetoric, physics, philosophy and more, and excelled in all. His aptitude for sex wasn't any different. He ate her out with the aggression and enthusiasm of a hungry dog as she hissed and bucked her hips all the while. His fingers dug into the flanks of her thighs and pulled her deeper towards him, making love to her pussy in long strokes up and down her vulva and alternating between sucks and teasing circular licks on her most sensitive nub. A couple of his fingers slipped inside her easily and worked into a rhythm of pumping in and out to add to it all. Her thighs clenched around his neck and got tighter and tighter as she reached her first orgasm, clamping down on her own mouth to muffle the sound. She didn't realize that she was choking him out until he tapped frantically on her thigh. He fell back to the ground and sucked in air after she let him go. 

"Oh gods! F-Felix, are you alright?"

Breathless, he weakly held up his hand in a thumbs-up position and caught his breath for a few seconds before springing back up and gripping his cock. He got back in his position between her thighs (her panties were discarded entirely on the ground by now) and placed his tip right between her pussy lips. His forehead pressed against hers, he whispered, "Ready for more…?" 

Flushed and a bit overwhelmed, she nonetheless smiled. "If you are." 

They kissed and he started to push himself inside her when she stopped him to say, "W-Wait. This is a bit uncomfortable…" 

She gently pushed him off, turned around, and bent over, looking back at him sheepishly. "I want it like this." 

"Perfect…"

This position had its own benefits. Her ass was fully presented to him, big and slappable and soft and firm with muscle all at once. The lips of her swollen and dripping coochie were on display and extremely inviting. He had intended to move right into fucking her, but he couldn't resist lavishing some attention on her beautiful behind. He lifted up the back of her shirt and got a view of where her hips widened out hourglass-like from her back into the curve of her ass, then gently raked his nails down from her lower back to her squishy buttocks. She shuddered, skin rising up in gooseprickles and her back arching slightly, only to shudder more when she felt his kisses all over her sensitive buttcheeks. He left several love-bites on each cheek—they would be visible later in the mirror, she knew—and she flushed deeply with a strange fluttery feeling in her belly to know that there was truly someone who loved her this much. While he kissed and worshipped her back there, his fingers teased and trailed up and down her inner thighs for a bit, getting closer and closer to her pussy until he started to play with it. Not fucking her, but just playing with her, rubbing her clit almost lazily while his tongue trailed over her cheek and found its way into her asscrack. 

"W-Wait, are you really…?" 

His only reply was to press the tip of his tongue against her tailbone, right at the apex of her crack. 

"B-But that's…!" 

She craned her head back at a painful angle to see Felix squatting on the ground and happily burying his face in her butt, eyes closed and tail swishing around. The feeling of his tongue back there felt strange and wrong and thrilling all at once. He had done this to her, occasionally. Never in her wildest dreams could her mind have conjured up such a sex act until he had done it to her for the first time. Even now it felt so improper that her face burned a bright pink to think of how depraved it was. Her, his sworn sovereign lord, and him, her retainer and knight—and of low birth and demi-human blood at that. And now that same servant was tongue-deep in her ass and tasting her sweat and skin. Society would surely find them scandalous. 

And yet, that excited her more, didn't it? From her perspective, society was awfully disagreeable and flawed in the first place. Why should her relationship with him be a scandal? Just because she is a Karsten, heir to one of the Great Houses—and him an Argyle? He clawed his way to where he stood now at her side, earned it through merit, not by birth. And she loved him. That society would shun that was terribly illogical to her. Frustrating. Infuriating, even, just like all the rest of society's dumb cruelty and hierarchy. It was silly, she knew—but she felt like their dirty little sex act was a minor rebellion against society and all its idiocy. A big "fuck you" as Lady Priscilla might put it. 

Or maybe all of that was to reassure herself that it was okay to like having her ass ate. It felt awfully good. In fact, she was about to cum again, between his persistent tongue and fingers playing with her pussy whenever they wanted. When she was near the brink, biting her lip, orgasm approaching like a pot about to boil over, he pulled away. It suddenly felt a bit drafty between her ass with his tongue gone. "Haah?" She weakly made a disappointed noise and started to turn her head around when she felt his tip push inside her. 

"Oh!" 

Standing now, hands on her hips, he slipped in easily, burying himself down to the base in one deep, slow stroke that filled her up. They were both so wet that he didn't need to take it slow, or lovingly tease her open anymore—the foreplay was over. He worked into a steady rhythm of thrusts now, taking her from behind in a stuffy, bumpy, dimly lit carriage ride like a couple of horny peasants. Yes—she was just like his little peasant slut, she fancied. She braced her palms up against the wall as he fucked her harder. Her walls felt unbelievably tight and warm around him—it was so good he could cry—and the feeling of his head slamming up against her back wall each time sent shockwaves of pleasure throughout her whole body. She came for the second time, pulsing around his shaft and making unintelligible little whines and moans. He reached around and covered up his mouth with her palm, muffling her noises. 

"You don't want—you don't want the old man to hear, do you?" 

Her eyes widened a little. He was right. It had slipped her mind, but she really didn't want him to hear, even if he already knew vaguely what was happening. She nodded and made a little noise in agreement. 

"So you better keep quiet for me, right?" He leaned in, hot breath against her ear. "Are you going to… to stay quiet? Like a good girl?"

Her knees wobbled. Felix's voice trembled and was slightly unsure—and in fact he was blushing terribly himself—but she could hear him affecting that unmistakable tone of firmness, the same tone he took when they roleplayed in bed. He was using it now, although imperfectly, only in a far more daring setting than usual.

Imperfect was enough for her. She flushed crimson, closed her eyes, and nodded enthusiastically. A thrilling and awkward feeling welled up inside her stomach as she submitted herself to him.

"Good!" he said, and thrusted into her hard. Her knees almost buckled, but he wrapped one arm around her waist with his other hand clamped around her mouth, holding her close to his body and keeping her upright as he fucked her. Every so often, he would change his grip, put a hand on her hip, and pull her deeper against him. Despite his own instructions, girly little sounds slipped out of him here and there as he sped up and got closer and closer to orgasm. It was cute—he was so bad at being forceful like this, and yet it made her so excited. For a few moments, all the responsibility and stress of governance, the pressure of society and her family, righteousness, it all melted away, and she was only his lover, and his slut. 

His thrusts reached a fever pitch as he came inside her.    
  


\----- ----- -----

"Gods, it must smell like a brothel in here." 

"It kinda does," Felix confirmed. Crusch was nose-blind to it, but not so for him, with his superior sense of smell. She was standing up, buttoning her pants, sleeves rolled up, white shirt totally open and exposing her belly, cleavage, and dark blue brassiere. It was good that her breeches were such a dark navy hue as well, because it concealed just how much sweat had seeped through. Her shirt was quite thoroughly damp, however. 

"Mm, your butt looks so nyice in those tight riding pants, you nyow—!" He groped one of her cheeks and jiggled it with his hand, giggling. 

"Hey!" She blushed and gently, but insistently, pulled his hand away. "You're so playful, it's unbelievable. You've already had a mouthful of my behind. Aren't you satisfied?" 

That stern rebuke seemed to wound him. "Ah… I'm sorry. Nyo, you're right. I'm way too much trouble…" He turned away. "I'll just throw myself out this window right nyow!!"

"Noo! Gods, just stop—!" She wrapped him up with her arms to stop him. He was crying again, the turbulent waves of his emotion were going wild— 

_ Hold on. He's not…? _

She realized the sounds he was making weren't sobs. He was snickering uncontrollably. He turned around and showed her a mischievous face overflowing with joy. 

"I'm just messing with you, silly. But nyow I'm in your arms, this is nyice, mm…" He happily nuzzled his face into her cleavage and hugged her. Crusch was flabbergasted for a moment, but she sighed wearily and smiled down on him while patting his head.

"Goodness, Felix. I can't predict you when you're like this… though I suppose that makes life a little more exciting." 

"Heehee. Sorry if I worried you, but it's kinda hard to resist joking you~!" 

"Yes, Yes, I'm quite humorless… but, seriously, Felix—what should we do? We can hardly present ourselves to Lady Emilia, smelling of sex." 

He backed up a bit and thought. Crusch resumed buttoning her shirt and making herself more presentable. 

"Well, Emilia, Remmie, and Subaru already know about us…" 

It was true. The Emilia and Crusch factions were sworn allies after the adversity they had overcome together, and along the way, their leaders had got to know each other  _ quite _ personally. 

"Be that as it may, it is embarrassing. This is a summit. What kind of message would we send as a faction? Priscilla may already be there, as well, waiting for us at the front gates." 

"Do you really think that lazy woman cares enough to do that? She'll probably be several days late, if anything. We might be fine if we just greet Emilia quickly and ask to take baths right away." 

"Absolutely not. I wouldn't be able to oversee all the unloading of our cargo and attendants. Besides, it is not just Priscilla we have to worry about. There will be others—merchants, nobles, Sir Reinhard and Felt, delegates from the Capital and the Interior Ministry." 

"Aren't we arriving early, though? I didn't mention them because I figured they wouldn't be there." 

"I don't think that we can be too careful, when it comes to  _ this _ ." 

Felix couldn't argue with that. "...I understand." 

He sighed and opened the shutters of the window, taking a good look at the forest scenery all around. 

"I know where we are. I've got an idea." 

\----- ----- -----

His idea was to stop by a local stream and have the two of them bathe. He had taken enough trips to the Mathers domain that he knew the land reasonably well, and was aware of the many streams that cut through the forested terrain. Crusch was highly skeptical—but he convinced her that it would all work out. 

She was right to depend on him. They posted Wilhelm and the guards several hundred meters in either direction, far enough to give the two of them privacy and close enough to form a perimeter of security. Her soldiers and retainers simply took it as a rest stop, albeit one which was curiously close to their destination. They didn't ask questions, and she trusted her subordinates with her life. 

The sun was low in the west—not at the point of setting yet, but just low enough to cast the whole landscape in that golden late afternoon glow, shining off the leaves and grass and sparkling on the water. Some of the streams around here were roaring, rapid, dangerous things, but others were calm and placid, like this one. She left her sweat stained clothes in the grass beside and waded through the stream. At first, it felt so cold that it startled her, but it soon began to feel refreshing. The water native to this far off borderlands was so clear and clean that she could see to the silt floor which she stood on, much unlike the polluted and filthy waterways in the capital region. Still, she had to admit that...   
  
“I feel distinctly like a peasant. I can’t remember the last time I bathed in a stream. It must have been childhood.”   
  
Felix tossed her a bar of soap, fine and expensive stuff from Kararagi, fresh from the wax paper wrapping it came in. She caught it and started to wash herself as he himself waded in.   
  
“Didn’t you say you wanted to nyow more about the peasant life? You should be thanking me for this opportunity.”   
  
“Indeed, Felix. Thank you.”    
  


“I didn’t mean it seriously…”   
  


One of Crusch’s strengths was adjusting quickly to new situations. In no time at all, she was calmly scrubbing herself down with a smile on her face, her upper body covered with soapy suds. She made sure to get her legs and everywhere, but she didn’t wash her hair, preferring to do that later when they could use the baths of the Roswaal mansion. Felix offered to wash her back, but she knew that would only lead them down a very dangerous and horny road.    
  
“No thank you, Felix.”   
  
“Aw come on! I’ll help you with those hard to reach spots~”   
  
“Are we not taking this detour for the purposes of  _ concealing _ our affair? I hardly think it’s wise to have intercourse here in this stream, in lord Roswaal’s land no less.”   
  
His face went red and he fell backwards into the stream with a splash. “Who said anything about intercourse?!”    
  
“ _ Please _ keep it down! Gods!” 

  
  
\----- ----- ----- 

  
  
They didn’t have intercourse, but they did end up splashing around and kissing a bit more than Crusch had intended, and sharing one embrace in that golden afternoon light. After they were done, they changed into fresh clothing that Felix had set aside on the bank of the stream. Along with some dozen different garments packed for this trip, Crusch kept three pairs of the same identical blue dress uniform, which served her handily in this instance. She looked like a proper politician and noble after that surprisingly refreshing wash, and was reasonably confident that they had both cleansed themselves from the smell of sex. Felix changed into a cute, powder blue dress and stockings, which actually made him look a bit more formal than he had originally. They would surely be free of suspicion now.    
  
An hour and a half later, the carriage train of House Karsten was rolling past the gates of the Mathers domain. Night had fallen shortly before they arrived, the sky black with traces of deep blue receding to the west. The stars shined bright out here, brighter than the capital—but brighter still were the thousand lights and lamps of the mansion, illuminating the grounds almost as if it were midday. When they stepped down from their carriage, they were greeted with the welcoming party of Lady Emilia, Lord Roswaal, House Mistress Frederica, Vice-Chief Maid Rem, and Subaru.    
  
“Duchess Karsten! I’m so glad to see you again. It feels like it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Emilia stepped forward, all smiles and warmth. Crusch put her hand forward to shake, and the gorgeous elf princess took her hand in both of hers.    
  
“Please, between us, you need not call me  _ Duchess _ , though I do appreciate your formality. For one who I count not only as my ally, but as a true friend, my first name is more than appropriate.” She clasped her other hand on top of Emilia’s.    
  
Emilia paused, before a warm smile and light blush spread over her face.   
  
“Of course. I can’t tell you how excited we are to have you and your household as our guests.”   
  
“Likewise, I’ve looked forward to visiting the famous Mathers domain for years now. I do wish that the occasion would provide for more leisure, but the circumstances cannot be helped. Let our efforts and negotiations be fruitful.” 

“With you, the famous negotiator, at my side, I’m quite confident that they will be. I can’t tell you how much it reassures me to have you here, really.”    
  
The two ladies and royal candidates were staring at each other and still holding one another’s hands. Inwardly, it made Felix just the  _ tiniest _ bit vexed. At that moment, lord Roswaal stepped in and began to speak with Crusch, conveying his own respects to a fellow lord and ally, and his eagerness to begin the crucial talks of the Anti-Witch Cult Summit. Meanwhile, Subaru came up to Felix.    
  
“What’s goin’ on man! How long has it been since we slayed the White Whale together?”   
  
Felix sighed and smiled. “Six months. You make it sound like you killed that thing with your own hands, you nyow.”   
  


“Hey, I practically did. Not with my hands, but my brain.” He tapped his temple, smiling cheekily at him.    
  
“Wow, someone’s full of energy. Did something good happen?”   
  
“Hell yeah! I haven’t even died in months! Plus, we’re about to work out our plan to take down the witch cult, and I’ve totally been on Mili’s good side! I couldn’t be any more happy!” He punctuated each of his statements with animated finger-pointing gesticulations in Felix’s direction. 

  
“You haven’t even died…? I’m nyot even going to try to decipher what that means, but I’m happy for you and your love life. Also, do you have some kind of title yet, or are you still a butler? Kinda strange for a minor servant like you to be in the welcoming party.”   
  
He winced a little. “Jeez man, why does everyone try to make fun of me...? I’m not a butler anymore, alright. Consider me one of Mili’s sworn retainers, or better yet, her knight!”    
  
“I guess even you can move up in the world…”    
  
“What do you mean, ‘even’ me…?!”    
  
…   
  
  
The two allied factions became acquainted with one another again down in the front courtyard as a certain woman watched. From the window of her guest suite, she could perfectly watch the scene of Crusch and her little entourage’s arrival. It would have been good form for her to come out and meet them, but that wasn’t her style.   
  
“Hmph!” She flapped her fan and lifted it up to conceal the bottom of her smirking face.    
  
“Seems the two  _ lovebirds _ arrived. How best should I expose and destroy them, hm…?”   
  
She drew the curtains to a close and called back to the man sitting on the edge of her bed.    
  
“Aldebaran, I think this dreadful little conference may prove to be entertaining yet.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I do not have plans to immediately continue this story, but when I do, each chapter will basically be Crusch and Felix having sex or Felix fucking various other characters at the summit meeting to relieve his carnal desires. Yes this is the type of stuff I like to write.


End file.
